UNCW receives 'largest ever' corporate gift

Wilmington-based Quality Chemical's founder and his wife pledge $5 million over next 5 years

By Cammie Bellamy StarNews Staff

WILMINGTON -- A University of North Carolina Wilmington professor-turned-businessman has given the school its largest corporate gift in history, sewing the seeds for a new pharmaceutical program.

On Monday UNCW announced the $5 million gift from Yousry and Linda Sayed -- $1 million per year for the next five years. Yousry Sayed is the CEO of Wilmington-based Quality Chemical Laboratories, which he founded in 1998 after years as an educator at UNCW.

In an interview Monday, Chancellor Jose Sartarelli said the Sayeds' gift will fund a pharmaceutical track within the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. He anticipates the program launching in 2018, and eventually growing to include a PhD.

"It ties in very nicely because chemistry and biochemistry is one of our strongest departments, along with marine biology," Sartarelli said. "This is a growing industry in North Carolina. ... I think we play a major role in enabling the economic growth for the city, the region and the state."

Both Sayeds have a UNCW connection; Linda Sayed holds degrees in chemistry and education from the university, and Yousry Sayed remains an adjunct faculty member in the chemistry department.

Yousry Sayed said he'd long wanted to give back to the school that has been a major part of his family's life.

"You want to give something back and when you’re able to, you go for it," he said. "It's a recognition of what (UNCW) was and how it is now and all the effort that has gone into building it, building by building and program by program. It wasn’t a difficult decision."

The timing of the planned pharmaceutical program is ideal; in January UNCW was one of 40 universities chosen for a $250 million project to develop biopharmaceutical drugs. The public-private partnership was announced by former President Barack Obama’s administration in December.

Biophamaceuticals are medicines made with ingredients from living organisms. Sartarelli said the federal partnership, and now the $5 million gift, will let UNCW prepare students for a young and growing industry. He added that on a recent tour of Sayed's Quality Chemical Laboratories, which does testing for pharmaceutical companies, Sartarelli met many UNCW graduates among the employees.

"A lot of the raw materials now for the synthetic types of pharmaceuticals come from India and China," he explained. "But biologics are still strong here ... and (the government) is trying to ensure we remain a leader."

Eddie Stuart, vice chancellor for university advancement, said the Sayeds' gift had been in the works for about a year. He noted that for Yousry Sayed, who came to campus decades ago from Egypt with little money, being able to give such a gift was something of an American Dream.

"He saw the potential of a pharmaceutical science emphasis in our department," Stuart said. "This is a neat thing because it has an entrepreneurial spirit because we're creating something new."

Since he arrived on campus in 2015 and implemented his five year strategic plan last fall, Sartarelli has made a concerted effort to court new donors. The 2015-16 school year saw a record $14.9 million in donations. In March UNCW set a 24-hour record for the number of donors, and university spokeswoman Janine Iamunno said this year's senior class has donated more than any graduating class in campus history.

"I think Chancellor Sartarelli has come in with a new level of engagement that is elevating the university's profile," Stuart said. "It's been a long time since we had that."

Reporter Cammie Bellamy can be reached at 910-343-2339 or Cammie.Bellamy@StarNewsOnline.com.